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Curtiss P.6E, Monogram, 1/72


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This is another old kit I recently acquired, that was such a treat to the eyes on opening I just had to pile on in to building it.

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There is no question this old moulding is much superior to the recent re-release of the kit. There was practically nothing by way of injector marks, and the fit of major pieces is precise and crisp. I will be finishing this in the USAAC blue and yellow scheme, using a set of Starfighter decals, but have not decided if it is to be a 33rd Pursuit or a 36th Pursuit machine.

On this I started with the landing gear; examples in service in the mid-thirties did not employ the full spatting on the wheels, but had a flattish outer face, cut out to expose the wheel. As the wheels are moulded into the spat pieces, this requires cutting the wheels out of the inner spat halves, then making wheels, and then making the outer covering.

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At this point I tried gilding the lily. I should have left well enough alone with the exhaust stacks, but I have done two scratch-builds with these dual-exhaust Curtiss V-12 motors, and felt I could open out the exhaust stubs. I should have realized the fresh extruded rod and thirty year old injected styrene have very different working characteristics at this level; putting in the holes cracked the remnant rims of most of the stubs. So I had to trim them off and replace them, (with .6mm rod). I took advantage of this to correct one small accuracy item: the exhausts ar all the same length, and so show a straight line along the whole length of their run, but the kit exhausts are slightly shorter at the front, matching the curve of the fuselage.

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At this point I began working on the interior.

The floor and rear bulk-head are each made from two pieces, each half matched to its own fuselage side, and then glued together at the center-line. The floor is at this point a little over-length; the heel-guides are 1.5mm x .25mm strip, with the outer rim being .5mm x .25mm strip, on edge alongside the 1.5mm piece, and the inner rim is .25mm square rod applied to the 1.5mm strip.

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Here is the basic side-wall detail. Curtiss 'lined' its cockpits with aluminum sheet, so stringers and such do not show. This lining folded over structural members, and narrowed in the forward portion of the cockpit.

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Here are a couple of shots of with the floor and rear bulkhead tacked in temporarily for test-fitting...

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Much more progress on this, Gentlemen.

The upper cowling and cowling front pieces fit quite well.

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Raised detail on the panels is appropriate for this model,as Curtiss panels in this period had raised edges. There is such a join at the seam of the cowling top with the fuselage,and I replicated this with .004" brass wire.

Here is a look in the cockpit:

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I decided I was not satisfied with my first run at replacing the kit's exhaust stubs; here is the early portion of the second pass. They are made of .8mm rod, and set at a downward angle,as they were actually at right angles to the cylinders:

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Lower wing fit was very good,and so was that of the horizontal stabilizer. I have added control horns for the elevators:

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The exhaust stubs have been sanded down to proper lengths,and opened up.

Here is a view of the underside: the area round the radiator is open on the kit;I filledit in.I am not sure this is correct,but the open gape into yellow plastic could not be proper either:

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Painting is underway:

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Paints are PollyScale, cut with future,and applied over white Tamiya primer. Quartermaster blue and yellow were used; the blue was mixed with some Azure Blue,to grey it down a bit and make it a bit paler, and the Yellow with a bit of red,as the white undercoat was leaving it a bit too pale and washed-out. The red nose is from a 35th Pursuit scheme on a Starfighter Decal sheet.

Here is a picture with the the upper wing and vertical tail surface temporarily in place:

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Hi

The second attempt on the exhaust is really better.

Very nice build.

Patrick

Thank you, Sir. I agree, and am glad I bit the bullet and re-did that. I have two scratch-builds that feature these Curtiss dual-exhaust motors, and so I pretty much have to make this one match....

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Nice to see your progress in this beauty.

Today I received this kit in my mail, and definitely I wish to build mine in this blue and yellow scheme.

Bye for now...

Glad you got one,Sir! You will find it a sweet kit, I am sure.

The Starfighter decal set I have is out of print, but they have a new P-6E set, with more options, including some blue-fuselage examples.

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Well,Gentlemen, decals have been applied, some small bits added, and a bit of detail painting done, too....

Here is the underside, with all decals in place:

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The white bits on the blue field of national marking are fairings for the bell-cranks that move the aileron struts. This is a standard feature of Curtiss biplanes at this time; some kits, including this one, and many drawings, leave them off, but photographs show then clearly, and in this position relative top the stars. They are made from small rectangular bits, tacked down with CA gel to a thick piece of plastic sheet, and shaped with knives and emery sticks. Once shaped,they are popped off the sheet with a knife edge.To get the correct position, I opened the locating holes for the aileron actuating struts clear through the wing; this was visible through the decal. They will be painted Insignia Blue to match the marking's field.

Here is a profile shot (more or less):

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The talon design is the unit emblem of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron. The rudder stripe decals were a trifle over-size, the bottom strip took most of the trim. In assembling the wheels, the hubs fit the tires close enough that no glue was needed.

Here is an over-head look, with a cockpit view:

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Here is a view with the upper wing resting (temporarily) on the cabane struts:

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Next will be making the wind screen, some preliminary rigging, and attachment of the gun-sight and upper wing....

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  • 1 month later...

A good deal of progress on this, Gentlemen. The build had been stuck for a while at the stage I like to call 'putting off doing the ####### windscreen!' But it is done now....

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It is pieced together on the model from three separate pieces of .005" clear sheet (a maddening material to work with), glued down initial with very sparing applications of CA gel, then with Future and more CA gel and clear epoxy. The frame is painted decal flim, cut to strips.

Cabane rigging wires were set before the upper wing was attached; Curtiss cabane rigging is pretty nigh impossible to do with the upper wing on.

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Here is the upper wing attached. The interplane strut ends need some filling (they do not really mate very well with their locator holes, though the joins are very solid). It was a bother,but not too difficult.

Upper ends of the landing wires, and the rear set of flight wires (all doubled) were attached prior to putting the upper wing on. Fairings for the turnbuckles were employed, and as they were a strikingly different color,and show pretty prominently on most photographs, I have cut bits of .01" strip to represent them.

Next steps will be completing the rigging, then with actuator rods for the ailerons and a propeller, the thing will be done....

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The rigging looks like quite a challenge... You even have the turnbuckle fairings! :woot.gif:

Thank you, Sir. Doubled lines are never particularly fun. But by compare to some of my builds, rigging this is a stroll in the park. Now this is rigging....

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  • 2 weeks later...

This one is done, Gentlemen...at least sort of.

After taking these pictures, I noticed a couple of points where touchings-up were required on hub-caps and spats (one of the weak points of doing several builds at once is losing track of some fine detail in each). So I am putting up these pictures of the beastie on its stand, but will do the touching up and take final finished pictures next weekend to replace these.

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I am pretty happy with how this one came out. A reasonably trouble-free build; a classic kit of a classic plane, that is worth putting in a bit of extra effort to improve.

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